Nicole Jeray's best round of year has her in contention after first round of Mobile Bay LPGA Classic

Pro golfer Nicole Jeray: Thursday May 16, 2013Pro golfer Nicole Jeray talks with AL.com/Press-Register Sports writer Tommy Hicks about her play during the first round of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic Thursday at Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama.

MOBILE, Alabama -- As she made a short par putt on the ninth green Thursday, her final hole of the day, Nicole Jeray gave a short wave to those who applauded her play.

Then she allowed herself to exhale.

Jeray shot a 4-under-par score of 68 in Thursday's first round of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic at Magnolia Grove's Crossings Course. It not only represented a good start to the tournament, it also represented a good step forward for the player who has been off and on the LPGA Tour since her rookie year in 1994.

The road to Thursday's round has been an interesting one, filled with ups and downs, for the player who had to overcome the usual bumps int he road as well as narcolepsy in order to compete on the Tour.

"That's good. My best round of the year so I'm excited. I hit every green except for the last one -- I was on the fringe. So I hit the ball really good. Some more putts could have went in the hole but beggars can't be choosers. Four or five birdies is really good. The course is in great shape. I've only played here twice but it's in the best shape I've ever seen it. The greens are receptive and I'm reading them pretty well. When I putt good I usually play good.''

Jeray earned her spot on the Tour this season the hard way, having to qualify through qualifying school. Of the hundreds that go through at least some stage of Q school, Jeray played her way top the final round. It was there the 42-year-old golfer from Berwyn, Ill., found herself in a seven-player playoff for the final spots to ear cards. And she was successful.

Having been to Q school several times and also having played on the mini-tours, Jeray said she has a great appreciation for being able to be out on the Tour.

"It was drama, qualifying school,'' she said. "It was the most pressure I've ever been under. I'm so happy to have another opportunity to play every tournament out here. It's great and all the fans love us. The older I get the more I enjoy being out here. I've always enjoyed it, but now I realize how much I love it and I'm getting more comfortable. It's only taken me 20 years.

"Playing the mini tour and having to go through qualifying school, once you get out here you say, 'Wow, this is really nice.' The fans are wonderful, red carpet treatment, the golf courses we play are awesome. This is a really a class act. The mini tour we play is good and it's improved tremendously since I first started playing, but it's still not being out here.''

Jeray also had to overcome dealing with narcolepsy, which took some time and different efforts. She is currently taking medication that helps her deal with the narcolepsy and she works to educate the public about narcolepsy. She is combing that effort with the golf -- she is sponsored on Tour by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, which makes the medication she takes, and she has started a program "Swinging For Sleep'' that raises money for two organizations -- Wake Up Narcolepsy and The Narcolepsy Network. Jazz Pharmaceuticals donates $250 for every birdie Jeray makes on Tour and $1,000 for every eagle. Thursday, she raised $1,250 with five birdies (she also had a bogey).

"I was diagnosed my third year on Tour in 1996 and it took me 10 years to find medicine that really worked,'' Jeray said. "It's only been in the last eight years that they've come out with a better medicine for people with narcolepsy, so now I'm sleeping better at nights, so I play better during the day.

"There was a point I weighed 230 pounds because I was on a medicine that was making me more tired and not helping my situations. The medicine is better and I'm taking care of myself better and learning how to deal with it better. So I think it's just kind of been a roller coaster ride, but the last seven years I've been a wake and been able to enjoy my shots and get excited and I never used to be able to do that. So I'm in a good spot right now.''

Jeray started he Thursday round on the the No. 10 tee and produced six straight pars. A birdie at No. 7 was followed by a par at 8 and bogey at 9 so she made the turn at even par. Her final nine holes, the front side of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail course, was more to her liking. Jeray had birdies at 2, 5, 6 and 8 to produce the 4-under scorecard.

She said he is hoping to continue the solid play the rest of the week.